Thursday, February 25, 2010

You Gave Up On Me....Before I Gave Up On You

I have had so much crating going on,
I really needed to "just write" something!

{And I am sure the men are tired of ribbon, glue, and DIY's}

Here it is...Prompt #1:

10 Reasons why you’re better off without him….or her….or it.

You Gave Up On Me....Before I Gave Up On You

Our relationship started off on the right foot...you know one of those things that you are not expecting, not looking for...it just happens and feels so right. I felt like I had made the perfect decision and we would have a long life together. But, you did it, you gave up on me before I gave up on you. I am OK with it now...I have at least 10 reasons why I am better off without you.

Fool me once...You left me stranded on Highway 46 in 112 degree weather and no one to turn to.

You never accommodated my guests, always leaving them out.

For awhile I was able to bounce back from your antics and so were you. Then, it became too much.

You provided a safe and comfortable environment until you decided it wasn't for you.

You never liked my music.

Fool me twice...shame on me. You left me stranded in Santa Monica, 350 miles from home.

Your family didn't like me much and your parents turned their back on me.

Without warning you gave up on me. You left and never looked back, leaving me looking for the elusive answer to my problem.

Would you like to now know the source of my angst...

My Saturn Vue.

Sorry, but my the length of my explanation, you can tell I am not over it yet! So, feel free to stop now...or continue on to hear the saga...this is clearly something I needed to get off my chest!

image from automedia.com

I loved that car. I really did. In 2006 on the road between LA and Monterey, the car disappointed me for the first time, leaving me and Joe on the side of the road {a pretty barren piece of highway} 100 or so miles from home and no where to go. The throttle body had given out.

Fast forward to 2009...I had been belly aching about getting a new car - something a little bigger, but hubby said no. Fine..I get it...I accept it. On 2/13/09, I was visiting the gang in L.A. and on the way to Santa Monica the car pooped out on me again.

Then began the problem...that dealer - well, I have nothing nice to say about them - said they couldn't look at the car for three days...REALLY?! So I had the car towed again to another dealer. They looked at it right away, but when I got the call, it is never what you want to hear..."Do you want the good new or the bad news...well really there is no good news."

Here is a synopsis of the rest of the events:

*Saturn customer service convo {summarized}:

"Sorry, there is nothing we can do...We {Saturn} don't have any in stock. NO ONE has any in stock. The manufacturer went out of business and we have not found a new supplier. There are none to be had...anywhere. The part is not covered by warranty anymore...because you have already had it replaced."

"How am I supposed to get home?"

"You could rent a car?"

"Do you offer any compensation or a loaner?"

"No."

"What if I don't have any money to do this?"

"We cannot help you."

"Really, I have two kids, and I am 350 miles from home."

"We'll call you when a part comes in."

"When will that be?"

"Hopefully June." {Remember...it is February}

*I made it home. The car stayed in L.A. I had the resources to get home, but what made me really angry was thinking about someone who may not have the resources I did...what would they do? What would they do if this was their only car? This is not OK!

*In March, we gave up...we looked for a new car. I actually found a dealer in L.A. that was willing to take the Saturn as-is for a trade. Hubby flew to L.A. and brought us home a new car.

*Jule 17, 2009...I received a phone call from Saturn {or whoever was running them at this point} letting me know the part was finally available...5 months later. seriously?!

That's it...thanks for sticking with the story. I really loved that car. I am sad it gave up on my before I gave up on it.

39 comments:

Good change of pace Holly. After about the 2nd clue I figured it was a car. Being stranded out there in no-man's land is no fun I'm sure. As for Saturn, they really know how to take care of their customers. I hope you didn't get a second one.

I had that happen to me once, but thankfully a friend of mine and I worked at the same job and lived within ten minutes of each other, so we were both taking the same route home, and she stopped on the side of the road with me until our dad's and my poppop got there.

Great story! I knew you wouldn't put up with any of those shenanigans from a human, but I never saw the punch line coming. It was great.

Sorry you had trouble with Saturn, though. I've had a strong relationship with my Saturn ever since a messy break up with Jeep. I suppose now I'm in the same boat as you since they went out of business...they gave up on me before I game up on them...

I can relate in a similar way. I loved a car too. I had just made the final payment and wham! Someone hits me. My car sacrificed itself to take all the force to keep me safe. I came out of it with a broken wrist and some bruises but my car was totalled. I really wanted to have that car for a while. Thanks for supporting Friday Follow. Have a wonderful weekend. Rita @ http://one2try.blogspot.com/

I suspected there would be a twist in the plot, so I kept reading to find out.

We wanted on a waiting list for a Honda Odyssey to be built for us. We wanted it by the time our daughter was born, because we didn't have a car large enough to hold two car seats and a growing teenager.

After six months or waiting and one month out from the due date, my husband emailed OTHER Honda dealers. We got a call the next day and had our new Honda within a week. Eight years later we are still waiting on the first Honda dealer to tell us our name is at the top of the waiting list.

I seriously can't believe the part took that long to come in. WTH? I wasn't expecting this to be about a car, either! But so glad Hubs was able to get you a new one and that you had the resources to deal with this.

I was soooo thinking this was a former business partner or something! You know, like battle of the wedding designers on Who's Wedding is it Anyway! That would have been a funny post!! But the car is an even better idea!! I love it!!Kelli @ SustainingCreativity

I know this won't make you feel any better at all, but I don't think it's just Saturn. I think all of the car companies have lousy customer service. My parents had a GM product that was a real lemon. They had problems from day one (it was brand new), but GM didn't give a crap about the fact that my aging parents need a reliable vehicle to get back and forth to doctor's appointments (my dad is disabled). They finally ponied up a couple of bucks toward another GM purchase, but it was pathetic. They didn't get anywhere near the compensation they should have.

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